Kita
by Girlbender875
Summary: Master Yoda stumbles upon a very interesting surprise. And this very interesting surprise will soon become the most treasured thing in the Jedi Temple, living on for generations. R&R!
1. Discovery

**This story is all for the fun of it, though it might have some serious elements in it, especially at the end. Just remember: This is not a story to be taken seriously!! You'll find out why in this chapter...**

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Master Yoda strolled through the majestic halls of the Jedi Temple as the sun steadily rose over Coruscant. The four hundred seventy-two-year-old Jedi Master gave a content sigh as he heard the Jedi start waking up and heading off to breakfast.

Some younglings ran by, laughing the whole way. Yoda smiled as they ran down the hall, their laughter echoing off the humungous walls. A Jedi Knight gave a nod of recognition as she walked by. Yes, everything was perfectly calm and perfect today… at least until Yoda heard a whimper in front of him. Yoda looked down to see… to see…to see a puppy.

The little puppy had short light brown fur with a black patch on its back. Small, soft, pointed ears were peeled back in fright. Yoda blinked at the puppy for a moment, and then noticed that he sensed something odd from the dog…no, he couldn't have sensed that!

The great Jedi Master had had many curves and surprises thrown at him by the Force, but this?

A Force-sensitive _dog_?

The puppy continued to whine, its tail between its chubby little legs.

"Lost your mother, have you?" Yoda asked it. The dog offered another whimper in reply. The Jedi shook his head; this was crazy. He was talking to a _puppy_. But the dog—strange as it seemed—almost looked as if it understood what he said!

Yoda actually had to lean over to pick the thing up, it was so small, and he held it in his arms. The puppy suddenly seemed completely relaxed and rolled on its back right in his grip. Yoda let out a chuckle.

"A playful one, you are," he commented. "But how get in here, did you?"

The puppy actually… did it? Yoda followed the puppy's paw… to see the main entrance. The dog pointed where it had come from! No, no, no… Yoda shook his head; he was just a little groggy this morning. Yeah, that was it. The puppy was just stretching its leg; it wasn't pointing. The dog wasn't helping with the argument; it gave him a curious look, cocking its head to the side.

"Master Yoda?"

Yoda turned to see a youngling staring at the puppy.

"What is it?" the youngling asked.

"A puppy, it is," Yoda replied. Almost as if on cue, the dog hopped out of his arms and walked up to the youngling. The three-year-old Zabrak giggled as the puppy licked her hand.

"He's cute!"

"Believe, I do that a girl she is, hmm?" Yoda told her.

"Oh." The youngling looked back down at the puppy. "Sorry."

The puppy nodded her head in recognition. Wait… _in recognition_? Yoda shook his head; he was going a little overboard with this.

"Can we keep her?" she asked.

Yoda was caught off guard by the question, but he only showed it through a blink that the three-year-old didn't catch. 'Keep her'? Jedi didn't have possessions, including pets! But Yoda wasn't exactly one to stick to the rule book directly; after all, most Knights called him 'The Master Imp'.

"Hmm…" Yoda thought out loud. The youngling held her breath. "What name her, will you?"

The girl gasped in delight. "How about Kita?"

"Kita… very well; Kita, it is,"

Well, perhaps the puppy didn't have to be a pet… some cultures included animals as a part of the family. Besides, maybe it would make the Temple a more cheerful place…

…At least, after the dog was refresher trained.

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**So what do you think? You think I should go on?  
**


	2. Kita Can Stay

**Here's chapter 2! Enjoy!**

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It had been done out of plain curiosity. She really hadn't meant for it to go _that_ far.

Belria ran as fast as her little legs could take her. The three-year-old Zabrak rushed into the Medical Wing of the Jedi Temple to see her lost charge, Kita, lying on a bed with two other younglings surrounding her.

Belria sighed in relief; at least the Knights didn't notice. "Nobody stopped you guys on the way?"

One of the younglings shook his head. "Nope; I told you; we would make sure everything went fine."

Belria snorted. As a Jedi youngling, she was a lot more mature and aware of her surroundings than the average three-year-old, and this was no exception. She knew they were just saying that to get her off their backs.

It had all started when she had suggested that they test their theory that Kita was Force-sensitive by meditating on it, but her other two companions took the poor puppy to the _Medical Wing_ and were going to test her midichlorian count!

"I really don't think we should be doing this," Belria tried again.

The second youngling, a five-year-old human girl, shook her head and sighed dramatically. "Belria, we said it was going to be _fine_. No one will know, and we'll have proof."

The first youngling, a four-year-old Cerean boy, grabbed a small medical tool used to receive blood samples. Kita gave a small whine, leaning away from the boy.

"Don't worry, Kita; this won't hurt a bit," the boy said. "They did it to me, Kelmi, _and _Belria when we were babies, just like you."

Kelmi, the human youngling, focused her hazel eyes on Kita, offering a reassuring smile. Kita seemed to calm down a bit, but still tensed up as the boy drifted closer to her.

Belria ran to Kita's defense. "Stop it, Tarrno! You're going to hurt her! You don't know how to do it!"

Tarrno-Beld-Ono looked up from taking a bit of Kita's blood to throw an exasperated look at the Zabrak.

"Belria, honestly, _stop worrying_; she _is _just a dog."

Kelmi, finally getting impatient, snatched the device and scraped it on Kita's leg. Kita gave a yelp.

"Kelmi!!" Belria shouted.

The moment the yell left her lips, she regretted it; footsteps were heard, Jedi Healers rushing into the scene.

"What the—?!" a healer stopped dead in his tracks. "What is going _on_ here?"

Belria, Kelmi, and Tarrno-Beld-Ono backed away from the medical bed, Belria grabbing a whimpering Kita.

The Jedi Healer walked up to grab the medical tool from Tarrno-Beld-Ono's hands. He waved the tool in front of them.

"What do you think you younglings are doing?"

"We just wanted to get Kita's midichlorian count, Master." Kelmi answered timidly.

"You…" the Jedi's voice trailed off as he stared at the screen that the sample's information was being displayed on. "What in the blazes?"

Belria, Kelmi, and Tarrno-Beld-Ono crept closer to the screen to read what it said. Belria's jaw dropped; Kita's count was three thousand midichlorians per cell! That was at least five hundred more than an average Human's count!

Kita sniffed at the screen, and then made a noise that sounded so much like a snort that Belria almost thought it came from one of the others. All of the Jedi in the room looked at the puppy in her arms. Kita looked back.

The healers looked back at the screen in blank shock, and, not knowing what to say, simply shuffled the younglings out of the room. One of the healers made a motion to grab Kita, but Belria tightened her grip on the puppy.

"Don't!" she shouted. "Kita's afraid!"

But fear wasn't what was coming off of Kita through the Force. It was more so curiosity and a sense of wanting to get out of the Medical Wing as soon as possible.

Still, the healers allowed Kita to go with the younglings, and they all ran off to their clan.

Kita stayed snuggled in Belria's arms for an hour before finally starting to walk around the room the clan was in. The clan's Minder, a Bothan Jedi Master, shooed the puppy out of the room—much to Belria's dismay—before continuing her lecture with the younglings on the Jedi Code.

That evening, Belria spent most of her time searching all over the Jedi Temple for Kita, but had little success. Some Jedi had said they saw a puppy run through the area, but they didn't know where it went. One Jedi even said that a Knight was looking for it to kick it out of the Temple.

Panicked, Belria ran in terror to find the pup. Turning a corner, she ran headfirst into one of the Masters on the High Council; Jedi Master Tulril Bo. The Human Jedi helped the youngling up after she nearly scraped his leg with her cranial horns.

"Sorry, Master Bo," she hastily apologized.

"It's all right, young one," Tulril Bo replied. "Where is your clan?"

"Um…" Belria didn't have an explanation for that. She tried to find an excuse, but decided to tell the truth; he would've sensed if she was lying anyway. "I snuck away."

The Master raised his eyebrows slightly, but did nothing else. Then, he said, "May I ask why?"

"I… I'm looking for a puppy." Belria flinched, knowing that she was going to get in trouble; Jedi weren't allowed to have possessions, including animals.

"Ah, the…" the Jedi Master trailed off for a moment, his brown eyes twinkling. "…Force-sensitive puppy? Kita, isn't it?"

Belria almost gaped in shock, but caught herself and merely nodded. "Yes, Master."

"I wouldn't worry about her," Master Bo said calmly, smiling at Belria. "She's probably exploring her new home."

This time, Belria didn't catch herself, and her jaw dropped so low she thought it was going to hit the floor. "She can _stay_?"

"Well, she has to, doesn't she?" The Jedi replied matter-of-factly. "She _is_ Force-sensitive, after all."

Belria squealed in delight, hugged the Jedi Master, and ran back to her clan to turn in for the night.


	3. Refresher Training

**These first few chapters may seem like slow start, but trust me; it gets better. **

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Two weeks later, Belria had almost given up ever seeing Kita again in the labyrinth that the Jedi Temple was to a three-year-old.

The entire Jedi Order knew about Kita now; the stories had spread like wildfire. Already, there were three popular tales that told how Kita came into being, none of them mentioning Belria, Kelmi, or Tarrno-Beld-Ono. The first story said that Kita was a Jedi who learned how to change his form and didn't know how to turn back. The second story told that Kita was called by the Force from the streets of Coruscant into the Jedi Temple, and suddenly became Force-sensitive upon entry. The third one was mainly told by the younglings, considering how ridiculous it was: Kita was the prophesized Chosen One, conceived by the midichlorians of the Force.

How _that_ story had come into being, even Belria didn't know, but she _did_ know that the Chosen One wasn't a _dog_. That was just crazy. How could a dog bring balance to the Force?!

Still, the question remained; how the blazes was a dog Force-sensitive?

Belria leaned against the wall and moaned… she wished Kita was there…

Suddenly, a small bark that echoed along the corridor was heard, and Kita rushed towards Belria. Belria gasped, and Kita jumped up into her arms.

"Kita! How did you find me?" Belria exclaimed in joy. Kita looked at her knowingly, and Belria could have sworn she heard someone whisper, 'you called for me'.

The Zabrak's eyes widened; did Kita speak to her through the Force? Or was it an interpretation through the Force that she just heard? Did she even hear anything at all?

Brushing the odd interaction aside, Belria carried Kita to the mess hall. When they arrived, Kita automatically jumped on the table and began eating any food that was there, including food on other peoples' plates.

"Kita!" Belria shouted. "Don't do that!"

Kita stopped eating, and favored Belria with a confused look. The Jedi in the vicinity paused, staring at the puppy, who continued to watch Belria. Belria took advantage of the pause, and quickly pointed to the floor.

"Dogs eat down here, silly,"

Kita looked over the table at the floor and then shook her head. Then, the pup pushed a Jedi with her pause, motioning that he wasn't on the floor.

A Jedi Knight cleared his throat. Well, throats; he was Ithorian, after all. "Perhaps she is protesting."

A Padawan giggled in response, "I think she's irritated at your proposal, young one. She seems to be suggesting that if she has to eat on the floor, everyone should too."

Belria stared to Kita. "Are you really saying all that?"

Kita nodded, causing a roar of laughter from the table, attracting everyone's attention.

"Wow, Kita," Kelmi walked up beside Belria. "You really _are_ Force-sensitive, aren't you?"

Again, Kita nodded.

"So, Kita," Kelmi continued. "Do you like your name?"

Another nod.

"Do you know what a refresher is?"

This time, Kita shook her head. A moan came up from the crowd of Jedi, and a shout, saying 'I'm not cleaning up after that thing!' was heard.

Tarrno-Beld-Ono stood up from his table. "Well, Kita, I'll show you one."

Kelmi and Belria both protested. "NO! Kita's a _girl_!!"

Another roar of laughter escaped the crowd of Jedi, and Kelmi quickly led Kita off with Belria following at her heels.


	4. Serenno Surprise

**Okay, this chapter is where things start getting interesting; and fun!! **

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Surprisingly enough, the 'fresher training didn't take much. All Kelmi and Belria had to do was lead Kita to the girls' refresher, explain what it was for, and Kita always used one ever since. It really _was_ as if the puppy could understand them.

Though it was a little odd walking into a refresher and seeing a dog walk out of the stall.

As the years passed, Kita grew bit by bit into a lean and strong dog, reaching a Zabrak's waist in height.

When Belria was thirteen, just after she was selected to be an Ithorian Jedi Knight's Padawan, she went to the Jedi archives to look up any information about Kita's breed. What she found delighted her.

"Kita!" she shouted as she exited the library, gaining a reproachful look from the librarian.

A familiar pattering of claws on the floor was heard echoing down the hallway as Jedi merely sidestepped to clear a path for the dog. Kita's long light brown tail wagged happily in recognition.

"Kita, I finally found out what kind of dog you are!" Belria said in happiness. "You're a Corellian Noblon!"

Kita cocked her head to the side, having no idea what a Corellian Noblon was.

"A Corellian Noblon is a rare canine species only native to Corellia." Belria explained. "They are extremely rare, but they can live up to _one thousand years_! Corellian nobility often own one as a pet. A lot of times, Corellian Noblons are the representation or symbol for the noble family, a sort of keeper of the family since they live for generations. They're known to be extremely intelligent, too! But I don't think any of them could beat you when it comes to intelligence, Kita; that comes with being Force-sensitive, I guess."

Kita bowed her head and examined the floor for a moment, possibly thinking about what she heard. Then, she looked up and put her paw on Belria's arm. Belria heard the whisper in her mind that she now knew came from the dog. _Just because you know what I am now… this doesn't change anything, right?_

Belria's eyes widened. "No, of course not, Kita! Why would you think that?"

Kita's head lowered in apology. Then it popped up again. _Wait… did you say _one thousand_ years?!_

Belria nodded. "Yep."

Kita and Belria looked at each other for a few moments, just taking comfort in each other's presence, when Belria's master walked up.

"Hello there, Kita," the Knight said; by now, mostly everyone had gotten used to talking to the dog in recognition. She offered a nod of the head in respect. Then, he continued, "Padawan, we have a briefing for our first mission. We must go."

Excitement flooded through Belria, and she could sense a twinge of envy coming from Kita. She looked down at her companion.

"Hey, don't worry, Kita, I'm sure you'll have some adventures of your own."

Belria walked off behind her master, a slight bounce in her step, and she smiled; she couldn't wait for her first mission!

* * *

Kita watched Belria walk off and turn the corner, her master leading the way. After they were gone, and Kita was satisfied by sensing Belria's presence, the dog headed off. She had a clan member to find, after all.

Belria was right; Kita would have adventures of her own, maybe. She already had quite a few, especially as she spent her first year in the Jedi Temple.

The Corellian Noblon remembered quite a few little adventures and… accidents. One time, when she was two, and starting to _really_ feel the Force, she accidentally Force-pushed a ball she was playing with to where it bounced off of a wall and landed right between High Council member Jedi Master Niira Varree. The Iktotchi Jedi blinked for a few moments, and Kita took the opportunity to run for her life with her tail between her legs.

The dog let out a pant that was equivalent to a sigh. She knew that since she _was_ just a dog she would never really go anywhere. It was unfair, but that was a part of life from what she heard. Shaking the thoughts off, she used her nose and her Force-sensitivity to find the missing youngling.

The youngling she was looking for reminded her of Kelmi, a Human girl who, at first, didn't seem to respect Kita very much. Kelmi was now a Padawan, already having the experience of three missions under her belt. She and Belria were close friends, as well as the Cerean Padawan Tarrno-Beld-Ono. The trio was quite a nuisance to the Jedi Knights and Masters, but like any other teenagers, it was to be expected.

Kita walked to a turbolift and brought her front paws onto the wall. She pressed the button to call the 'lift, and then sat down patiently. Thirteen years in the Jedi Temple had taught her a lot in the practical sense, but she barely knew anything Force-related; oh, sure, she knew the Jedi Code, the different Jedi ranks, she practically knew everything that had to do with the Order and the Temple; but she didn't know any moves.

You know; the cool flashy stuff? That the other Jedi do? If Kita was Force-sensitive why couldn't she learn some? She fully understood that, as a dog, there wasn't much she _could_ do, but she wanted to learn _something_.

The turbolift arrived and the doors opened, revealing a Padawan who was leaning against the transparisteel looking bored. The Jedi looked down at Kita and then smiled.

"Hey, Kita," he said. "What level?"

Kita walked in and sent her thoughts to him; at least she knew _that_ much about the Force.

_Seventy-third level, please._

The Padawan pressed in the level and the turbolift was on its way, going up about thirty stories.

"So…" the boy trailed off, trying to spark a conversation, however awkward it still seemed to someone his age. "Anything interesting happen to you today?"

Kita looked up at him. _Besides finding out my breed and searching for some youngling who thought it was funny to vanish off the face of the planet? Not really._

"You found out what breed you are?" the boy asked, now interested.

Kita let out another pant meant to be a sigh. _Yes. Essentially._

"Well, what are you?"

_I'm a Corellian Noblon. They're supposedly a rare intelligent breed on Corellia used as figureheads in nobility._

"Wow," the Padawan muttered. "I guess that explains something."

Kita threw an irritated glance. _Just because my breed is intelligent, doesn't mean that Force-sensitivity for them is a credit a dozen. Besides, they only live on Corellia; I have no idea how I got here._

"Well, maybe the Corellian senator owned you," the boy offered. "Or at least your parents; maybe you got lost in a crowd and wandered into the Jedi Temple."

_And mysteriously became Force-sensitive?_

"Maybe,"

_Right. I'll believe that when sand panthers fly._

"See? You _are_ connected to Corellia; sand panthers are native there!"

_That doesn't mean anything,_ Kita grumbled bitterly in his head.

"I think you're getting a little panicked about it," the Padawan said knowingly.

_And I think this is your stop._

The turbolift came to a stop, and the doors opened. The Padawan walked off and threw one last glance over his shoulder before the doors hissed shut. The turbolift resumed its course, but Kita didn't pay it any notice. She was thinking about what the boy said.

What if he was right? What if, in some ludicrous way, she had just wandered in on accident and… and then what? The _Jedi_ made her Force-sensitive? That was doubtful. But what if she belonged to the Corellian senator? Kita gave a shudder; she didn't belong to _anybody_. Not even the Jedi Order. They gave her plenty of opportunities to go away, but she chose to stay. She was just as capable to leave as any Jedi in the Order, but she also wanted to stay just as much as any Jedi in the Order.

Finally, the turbolift reached its destination, and Kita trotted out, once again sensing out for the youngling. After eventually catching the young one's Force signature, Kita ran off, pushing the conversation out of her mind.

* * *

**266 years later…**

She would never forget that night; the night that Belria had been cremated. The Zabrak Jedi Knight was sixty-two years old. She still had a good forty years ahead of her, and she could have been a Jedi Master, but no, that's not how she wanted it.

Belria had finally become a Jedi Knight after passing the trials at twenty-seven. Her master was elevated to the rank of Jedi Master and placed on the High Council, and she finally had the freedom of a Knight that she always had wished for. Three years after she was Knighted, Belria selected her first and last Padawan: Raana Aslo.

Raana was a very talented youngling who had piqued Belria's interest when she was twelve, so Belria asked for her to be her Padawan. Raana accepted, knowing that Belria was a very competent and skilled Jedi Knight, and the two of them were the best Knight/Padawan pair there was… well, at least in Kita's opinion.

Seven years later, Belria and her Padawan went onto a mission that was to be simple negotiations, but in the middle of the mission, a coup overthrew the government and captured Raana. Belria went to rescue her, but she was too late; Raana had been killed.

Belria somehow managed to bring the mission to peace, but she never got over what happened to her Padawan. She never took another apprentice, and always went on solo missions. Kita did everything she could to cheer her up, but nothing ever really worked.

Eventually, Belria met the same fate as her Padawan. Another mission went awry, and Belria was killed in the thick of it. Another Knight/Padawan team was sent, and they brought back her body after settling the issue. Kita was horrified.

Tarrno-Beld-Ono and his Padawan attended the funeral with Kita, but Kelmi did not; she was also dead. Kelmi died at the hands of her _own_ Padawan, who had turned to the dark side. They engaged in a lightsaber duel, and the two of them killed each other, Kelmi thinking it poetic justice.

The image of Kelmi, her Padawan, Belria, and _Belria's_ Padawan all being cremated kept flashing through the dog's mind. Kita shook her head; this galaxy really was a tragedy.

But she was a Jedi. Well, Jedi Minder… that was her job. Over the years, Kita stopped worrying about getting into the action and started taking care of the younglings. Besides, she was two hundred seventy-nine years old; she was the perfect person—well, _dog_—for the job.

Kita was walking towards the nursery. It was one of her favorite places to go, and she had heard that there were a few new infants. Kita loved watching them all grow up, and nowadays every Jedi knew Kita and at least saw her once in their lifetime. Master Yoda still beat Kita in popularity throughout the Temple, but she took second place.

As the door slid open, Kita walked up to a crib that held one of the newcomers. A small baby, probably no older than ten months, looked up. He had a patch of dark brown hair, and studying brown eyes watched her. Kita read the holopad showing his name.

Kita licked the baby on the face, causing a fit of giggles to erupt from him. _So, Dooku of Serenno, I guess I should welcome you to the Jedi Temple._

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**Well, what do you think? Please review!  
**


	5. The Festival of Life

**Please forgive me for the wait! I promise I'll update soon (and by soon, I mean within this month!!)!**

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Dooku and Lorian Nod ran through the Temple, laughing the whole way. They had just finished their work for the day and had the entire afternoon to relax… and play. A bark was heard behind them.

"Uh-oh!" Lorian said to his four-year-old companion. "It's Kita!"

"Quick! Let's hide!" Dooku panted.

The two younglings ran into a meditation chamber and hid behind some of the circular chairs. The door opened and Kita walked in slowly, sniffing the air. Lorian and Dooku held their breath and remained still. Despite their attempts not to be noticed, Dooku's face started to turn red and then the air burst out of his lungs. Kita leapt over the chair and grabbed the back of his tunic with her teeth.

_You're not getting away this time, Dooku!_ Was the playful shout that was heard in his head.

"No!!" Dooku shouted.

"Haha! I win!" Lorian jumped up and whooped. "The evil Sith Lady Kita didn't get me!"

_Now, you will be my apprentice, Dooku! Join the dark side or perish! _Kita said in a nasty tone.

Dooku stood defiantly. "Never! I'll never join the dark side! Never in my whole life!"

_You had your chance! Die, Jedi!_ Kita started licking his face and he burst into a fit of giggles.

"No! Stop! Lorian, help!!"

Just as Lorian started to rush over to aid his fallen comrade, the door hissed open to show three Jedi Knights. Lorian and Dooku froze.

"Um, did we miss something?" One of the Knights asked uncertainly. "Isn't this supposed to be a room for _meditation_?"

"Yes, Masters," Lorian said hastily.

"We'll be going now," Dooku added.

The two of them rushed out and the Knights looked at Kita. She gave an innocent look back.

_What? I didn't do anything; I was just trying to turn Dooku to the dark side._

The three Knights laughed and stepped aside for Kita to leave. Kita tramped out and the door closed behind her. As she looked around, she noticed that her charges had vanished. _Now_ where had they disappeared to?

Kita trotted towards the turbolift and paused when she saw Lorian's face peek around the corner.

"Oh, no!" he said quietly and his head vanished behind the wall. Kita shook her head. They were still playing the game.

_I'll get you, my pretties!_ She shouted in their heads, followed by a wicked laugh, and the chase began all over again.

* * *

The Temple was bustling around with good cheer today. It was the first day of the Festival of Life, a fete (festival) week three months and one holiday into the year, and everyone was excited. The Festival Life was the best fete week in Kita's opinion, since it celebrated life and people, although the Festival of the Stars took a close second.

The Festival of Life was five days of parties, get-togethers, and gift-giving to celebrate all life. Although the Jedi didn't have parties too often, nor were there get-togethers with families, they still enjoyed giving simple gifts to each other and throwing small parties with friends. Kita would go from room to room to see younglings giggling and hugging each other after receiving presents, Padawans and their masters having fun just doing an extra exercise or game for the day, and Knights hanging around with their friends all day and completely neglecting most of their training.

Kita peeked into one of the rooms and saw Dooku and his master, Thame Cerulian, talking to each other and laughing. Kita smiled; it was good that Dooku and his master were getting along; the poor kid just lost his best friend. Lorian Nod had looked into restricted files and had blamed Dooku for it, but the truth was found out and Lorian was expelled from the Jedi Order.

Some Jedi Knights walked by making a raucous the whole way. Behind them, a small group of Padawans were standing in a circle whispering to each other. Kita rolled her eyes. Oh, yes, this was definitely a typical sight on the Festival of Life, especially the first day. Once the first day of the fete week passes by, the Jedi settle down… at least a little bit.

Behind her, Dooku walked out of the room and headed the opposite direction of his Master. The thirteen-year-old greeted Kita as he walked by and then joined the circle of Padawans. Kita narrowed her eyes suspiciously; what were those Padawans up to?

They all giggled and then broke off, running in different directions. Kita had heard _that_ kind of laughter before; that was _mischievous_ laughter. Dooku ran off with another Padawan, both looking very excited and apprehensive at the same time. Kita called it the "rule-breaking jitters"; the excitement of breaking the rules coated with apprehension of getting caught. Something was _definitely_ up with these apprentices.

By nighttime, Kita had forgotten about the whole incident until she saw the same Padawans start to head down the hallway towards the mess hall… even though dinner had already finished. Kita followed Dooku down the stairs towards the large mess hall and saw other Padawans there, all laughing and eating pastries. Somebody had gotten hold of a stereo, because there was music playing and a dance floor had been made in the middle of the room. All of the apprentices were enjoying themselves, it seemed. Dooku ran off and started talking to some friends while stuffing his mouth with a fruit tart. Kita merely gaped at the scene; she hadn't seen any party _this_ massive since Belria's Padawan snuck off with some friends on the Festival of Life over two hundred years ago. These Padawans obviously knew how to party.

While still debating over whether she should call it off or just enjoy the show, Dooku sensed her standing in the doorway.

"Uh-oh," he muttered.

Dooku spread the news silently around the room until everybody was pointing and whispering at Kita. Kita noticed and gave a bark, and they all distinctively heard her voice in their head.

_Nice party you have here._

The whole room, along with Dooku, breathed a collective sigh of relief; Kita wasn't going to turn them in.

The music started up again and Dooku asked a friend if she wanted to dance with him. She smiled and said yes, and they were off. Kita watched from the doorway and almost laughed; Dooku still had much to learn when it came to grace; he almost tripped over his own feet on the dance floor.

About four hours later it was midnight, far past everyone's bedtime. Kita knew that she had to stop the party there, otherwise the Padawans would still be going strong by the time breakfast came around… and wouldn't that be an interesting sight to see?

_All right everybody!_ She shouted in their heads. The music was still going strong. _Hey! Guys! _She was still ignored. Kita sighed and waited a moment, and then,

_**GUYS!!**_

Padawans all over were holding their heads or their ears, although their ears didn't hear the scream.

"Kita!" they all yelled irritably.

_Look, it's __**midnight**__I think you all had better be heading to bed._

"Bed!" Dooku repeated indignantly. "We're Padawans not younglings; we don't have to go to bed!"

"Yeah!" was heard echoing around the room.

Kita rolled her eyes. _All right, if that's what you want. _

At that, Kita left the room and booming music behind her and the party resumed.

Four and a half hours later, Kita yawned and woke up with the rest of the Jedi Order. When she headed down to grab a snack before starting the day off, the mess hall looked like a wreck. Food was left out on the tables and the walls (there must have been a food fight after she left), dishes were left out, napkins and all sorts of streamers were strewn out all over the room, tables were moved aside and the stereo had somehow gotten knocked over. Kita did her very best to hold back a burst of laughter, but it started bubbling and was almost out of control until she ran off to find somewhere where she would be alone.

As she laughed, Kita saw Master Thame Cerulian and a very groggy-looking Dooku walking towards the mess hall.

_Watch yourself, Dooku, you're in __**big**__ trouble. _Kita warned, motioning towards the mess hall. Belatedly, Dooku realized what she meant. All exhaustion evaporated from his face and panic quickly replaced it.

"Uh, M-Master?" he stammered stupidly. "Uh… uh… uhhhh…"

Dooku grabbed his master's sleeve and tugged on it helplessly. Master Cerulian looked at his Padawan curiously.

"Padawan, is there something wrong?"

_I think he's worried about his morning snack._ Kita responded before Dooku could respond.

"What do you mean, Kita?" Master Cerulian's tone had turned suspicious now.

Dooku cut in before Kita could respond, "Uh, M-Master, why don't we, uh, _skip_ the snack? I-I'm _really_ not h-hungry right now…"

His master raised an eyebrow and then a shout was heard:

"What in the name of the Force happened?!"

The shout echoed down the hall, coming from the mess hall. Master Cerulian rushed off in that direction and Dooku ran off in the opposite direction. Kita laughed.

_You're in trouble, Padawan Dooku…_ she said in the same tone she used when he was a youngling pretending she was a Sith Lady. _**Big**__ trouble…_

* * *

As Dooku and the other Padawans hid from their masters or received the lecture of their lives, Kita wandered off towards the Fabool Clan, a clan that consisted of younglings ages two through four, to see her favorite youngling. He was always so tuned in with the Living Force that Kita just loved him to death. She viewed all the younglings as her puppies, but especially this one.

Thinking about the younglings always made Kita happy, but it also made her think about the rule of non-attachment. The Jedi Order had always made that a very strict rule; that one was not to make any attachments, and one had to let friends pass through one's life. Kita at first had thought it would be impossible for her to learn, but after Belria had died, she had learned that lesson hard. When she thought about it, though, she realized that in a sense, nobody followed that rule _entirely_.

When you grow up as a Jedi in the Order, you get close to those you grow up with. Other younglings in your clan become siblings to you. When you move to an older clan, you make new friends, but you still frequently see your old ones. When you get taken in as a Padawan learner, your Master becomes a parental figure. After you become a Knight, if you take a Padawan, the Padawan becomes _your_ youngling; one thing that Kita _had_ noticed was this: A Jedi Knight or Master would practically do anything to keep their Padawan safe.

When it really came down to it, if a loved one died, it would be painful, but a Jedi _could_ let it go. Still, during that person's lifetime, the Jedi does everything to keep that person safe. Belria would have sacrificed her own life to save her Padawan, and when Kita thought of Master _Yoda_, she knew that he looked at everyone in the Order as his younglings.

So, for all that talk of non-attachment, the Jedi Order had one main attachment; each other. The entire Order was one big family, and because of their Force-sensitivity, their loving bond went deeper than an average family.

As all of this went through her mind, Kita didn't even realize that she had walked by the Fabool Clan until she heard her favorite youngling call out.

"Hi, Kita!"

Kita turned around and saw him. She barked and wagged her tail affectionately and he ran over to hug her.

_Hey, there, Qui-Gon._


	6. Nightmare

**Ha! I told you I'd update within the month! Trick or Treat!**

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Four-year-old Qui-Gon Jinn could barely sit still. Tomorrow was his fifth birthday! He was going to be moved from the Fabool Clan and go to an older clan! He couldn't wait, but he would miss his friends; still, he would probably see them soon after. If only he could find Kita!

Qui-Gon had been searching high and low all over the Jedi Temple to find Kita, but he didn't have a clue where she was. He was hoping she could tell him some stories about other younglings who had turned five and how they reacted. He also wanted to know if she could tell him which clan he was going to get transferred to. By dinner, Qui-Gon had given up. He couldn't find her at all, and he was a little upset about it, but he still enjoyed a lively (and very loud) conversation with other clan members.

After dinner, Qui-Gon and four other clan members all went to their shared quarters and fell asleep… at least the other four; Qui-Gon couldn't sleep. He kept thinking that after tomorrow, he wouldn't be sharing a room with anyone anymore; he'd be all by himself in a dark, cold room. Qui-Gon shivered at the thought; maybe he could play sick… that way, nobody would transfer him to another clan…

Scared out of his wits, Qui-Gon hopped out of bed, slipped on a pair of shoes and a robe and started wandering the halls of the Temple. Though he wasn't very well-trained with using the Force yet, he could still sense the presence of his fellow Jedi all fast asleep in their beds… how did they do it? How could they sleep in an empty room without getting scared or lonely?

As he thought about these different things, he heard the familiar clicking of claws on the floor.

"Kita?" he whispered uncertainly.

The shadow of a dog appeared in the hallway and then he saw her walking towards him. The lights coming from the large windows on the right wall reflected in her brown eyes.

_What are you doing awake, Qui-Gon?_

"I couldn't sleep," Qui-Gon responded. "I'm scared; tomorrow's my fifth birthday. At first I was happy, but now I'm scared…"

_Why are you scared? _

"I don't know…" Qui-Gon answered. "I just… I mean, tomorrow I'll be alone and… well, what if I fail my training or something? What if I'm kicked out of the Order? What if they can't even pick which clan I should be moved to? I'll be the first Jedi in the history of the Order to be kicked out at the age of five!"

_No you won't. I've talked to plenty of younglings who had the same worries as you._

That comment piqued Qui-Gon's curiosity. "You have?"

_Why, yes. There was this one youngling named Iane who was so terrified that she actually hid the day before her birthday. The Masters went searching for her, but I was the one who found her. I told her the same thing I'll tell you: you have absolutely nothing to worry about, Qui-Gon Jinn. You are an amazing youngling and you will make a great Jedi. Everyone has always been transferred to the perfect clan for them. Do you doubt Master Yoda's abilities to place you in the right clan?_

"No! Of course I don't!" Qui-Gon replied quickly. "Who could ever think Master Yoda is wrong about anything?"

_Then what have you got to worry about?_ Kita prompted gently.

"Well…" Qui-Gon trailed off. "I guess so…"

Kita smiled and escorted the youngling back to his quarters. The other four in there were fast asleep, one of them snoring loudly. Qui-Gon walked in, yawned, and curled into his bed. Kita stood there for a while to make sure he was asleep before leaving the room.

Later that night, Kita finished her rounds around the Temple corridors and settled down in a meditation chamber. Closing her eyes, Kita relaxed and sensed all the Jedi peacefully sleeping.

Suddenly, the peaceful image shattered in Kita's mind. Screams were heard in her head, and the image of the meditation chamber blurred into a new image, a terrifying one: the Temple was under attack.

Kita found herself standing in a black-and-white world where Jedi were running with their lightsabers out and activated. Blaster bolts flew in all directions. A Padawan rushed forward, barely fourteen years old, when a lightsaber pierced right through her. Her face registered shock, and then she fell to the ground. Kita screamed out, but she couldn't hear herself. A pillar fell to the ground and hit a console, sending electrical sparks in all directions.

Through all the chaos, Kita realized that she couldn't move. She stood paralyzed to the ground as she watched the Jedi Temple fall apart and Jedi dying all around her. Just when she was about to lose her mind, she heard a lightsaber getting closer to her and saw a dark cloaked figure standing in front of her, blue lightsaber humming in the person's hand. Red eyes glared through the hood, and for once in her life, Kita was terrified.

_Get away from me!_ She tried to scream out, but it was useless. Then, the blade was driven forward, and Kita felt her heart get pierced through.

"Good-bye, Kita," a deep voice growled.

The horrifying black-and-white world began to fade, and suddenly Kita opened her eyes with a jolt to see the sun rising through the large windows in the meditation chamber. Panting heavily, Kita rose shakily to her feet. It was a nightmare? Just as she thought this, she realized that there were torn up and over-turned chairs in the room, and the windows were cracked.

Kita rushed out of the chamber in a panic to see the halls in ruins. Windows were broken, and the Temple looked decrepit. The dog tore down the hall towards the bedrooms. When she got there, doors were broken or half open.

_No! _ Her heart screamed out.

She searched the entire building and it all looked the same. Old, abandoned, and demolished. Oddly enough, not a single body was found.

Kita ran to the main entrance and saw the streets of Coruscant. People wandered around going about their daily business as if nothing was wrong… but something _was_ wrong. Something was off; something was different about the Gem of the Republic… what was that huge building off in the distance? It certainly looked like the tallest skyscraper that Kita had ever seen.

As she was looking around from the stairs, a mother and her youngling walked close enough for Kita to hear their conversation.

"You see this old place, sweetie?" the mother said to her child.

"Yes," the child replied.

"This used to be the Jedi Temple. All the Jedi lived here."

"Really? Were they good Jedi?"

"They used to be. Then they were declared enemies of the Republic and now they're gone."

"Oh. Well, can we go eat now?"

The mother laughed, picked her youngling up, and walked off. Kita stood there and stared in numb shock. _Enemies of the Republic?!_

Suddenly, Kita felt everything slipping. Her surroundings faded off and suddenly, the meditation chamber reappeared. The first thing Kita checked was the windows, but they were in perfect condition. She looked around the room and everything looked clean and normal. Through the Force, she could sense Jedi waking up all around the Temple. She lied there for a moment, just breathing and taking in the calming presence of the Jedi. _It was a nightmare…_ she kept repeating in her head. _That's all… just a nightmare…_

Kita stayed there for the whole day, breathing peace from the Force signatures of the Jedi. By dusk, the door finally opened for the first time in the whole day.

"Kita!"

Kita jumped and turned around to see Qui-Gon.

"Kita, where have you been? I've been looking all over for you! Guess what? You'll never guess what clan I'm in!!"

Kita did her very best not to tackle him and lick him to death at the very sight of seeing him alive. She merely kept silent for a moment and took in his appearance: the short brown hair, the bright blue eyes twinkling with excitement, the Jedi robes, loose and comfortable, the training 'saber…

"Kita?"

Kita looked at his face once again, seeing that it showed concern. There was his connection to the Living Force again.

_Sorry, Qui-Gon; I didn't mean to scare you. So, uh, what clan _did_ you get into?_

Although her silence at first still seemed to bother him slightly, his excitement soon overcame it. "Well, just guess!"

_Uh… the Begruutfa Clan?_

"Nope! I got into the _Katarn Clan!_"

Kita smiled. _Wow, the Katarn Clan? That's one of the top-notch clans._

"I know!"

_Didn't I tell you it would be fine?_

"Yeah, you did! I can't believe I was scared… are you sure you're okay?"

Kita nodded. Satisfied, Qui-Gon bounced out of the room to find his friends. As the door closed behind him, Kita sighed and began chanting the calming words in her head again. _It was just a nightmare…_

_

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_**Happy Halloween everyone! Please review! Don't worry; we'll see Qui-Gon again in the next chapter and be introduced to the next generation in that chapter.**


	7. Cakes and Soap Suds

**Here's the long-awaited next chapter! Sorry it took so long! The computer that had all of my stories crashed and I lost everything, and now that same stupid computer won't connect onto the blasted internet!!!!!! AAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Uh, anyway, here's the next chapter!  
**

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The sun seemed to drag a little bit as it crept over the horizon, barely making an appearance through the cloudy haze. Although Coruscant's weather was mainly temperate year-round due to tall of the technology, it would, occasionally, break through and release its rage.

Most of the time when the weather actually differed from warm, semi-moist days, it would either be cold and cloudy, or give off a soft drizzle. There were only about two or three thunderstorms a year on Coruscant, but when they came, they were ravenous.

Luckily, today only brought a gentle drizzle which kissed the skyscrapers of Coruscant as Kita shook herself to get rid of all the water in her fur; she didn't want to leave a trail of water all over the Temple.

Qui-Gon Jinn was a Padawan learner now, Padawan to Dooku.

Kita sighed. Dooku had hardened over the years; practically the only living being that he wouldn't be stiffly formal with was her. Qui-Gon, particularly with his connection to the Living Force, needed more love and attention than Dooku would offer. That thought alone made Kita sad. She had seen many Jedi grow distant as they grew older, but Dooku was a pretty bad case.

Dooku wasn't a bad Jedi. It wasn't that at all… it was just… Kita didn't quite know how to explain it. He obeyed the code perfectly, but he was so… stiff. It was almost as if he were headstrong. Maybe he was.

Kita shook her head. Either way, it wasn't good for Qui-Gon; it was a Master's job to do things that are in the best interest for their _Padawans_, not their _reputations_.

Today was Qui-Gon's twentieth birthday. For non-Jedi, this was a very important birthday because a Human reached legal adulthood at the age of twenty… well, mostly.

The average Human lived to be about one hundred ten to one hundred twenty. This wasn't always the case, but because of the technology nowadays, it was perfectly natural to live over a century. Because this change has lasted for such a long time, Humans actually take longer to grow than other sentient beings.

When it came to younglings, Humans were just about in the middle range for maturing. By the age of twenty, a Human pretty much had everything they would need their whole life, but the fine-tuning for this would last until they were about twenty-four or twenty-five. In other words, Qui-Gon had about five more years of hormones and growing to go.

Still, turning twenty allowed a Human to become a legal adult, although in most cases they still had to have a guardian watching them until about twenty-five. This made turning twenty a very important birthday for girls and boys alike.

Since coming of age was actually depending on when one became a Knight in the eyes of the Jedi, the twentieth birthday wasn't quite as important, but still significant enough to garner more attention than other birthdays.

Kita had to think of something that she was going to give Qui-Gon, particularly since she was worried that Dooku wouldn't do anything for the boy on his special day. What could she possibly give him, though? Kita hadn't seen him too often because her duties were for the younglings, not the Padawans.

Kita had asked around for Qui-Gon's likes and dislikes, and she even considered going to Dooku to ask him what he planned on doing for Qui-Gon.

As Kita wandered around, she saw Qui-Gon's closest friend, Tahl. Perfect!

_Tahl, wait up!_ Kita called out through the Force.

Tahl paused and turned around, focusing her golden striped eyes on the Corellian Noblon. "Oh, hey, Kita,"

_Are you getting Qui-Gon anything for his birthday today?_ Kita asked.

Tahl smiled. "Of course I am. He and I are going out for dinner tonight and then we're going to see a HoloNet feature."

_That sounds like fun_, Kita commented.

"Yep," Tahl leaned against the wall casually. "What about you?"

Kita looked away awkwardly. _I wasn't too sure what he would enjoy… I didn't know his plans. Do you know if his master is planning on doing anything with him?_

Tahl's smile vanished. "Probably a 'happy birthday' and a pat on the back,"

_Oh_, Kita said stupidly. _Well then at least let me get the cake for when you two go out._

Tahl clapped her hands delightedly. "That would be great, Kita! You remember what his favorite kind of cake is, right?"

Kita barked, which was pretty much her equivalent to an excited laugh. _How could I forget?_

Tahl smiled once again and then waved, running off to do some duty she had to attend to.

Kita then turned and headed down towards the youngling area. She needed someone's assistance to do this; there was no way she could make a cake by herself, and she definitely couldn't go to a street vendor and ask for one.

When she arrived, most of the younglings were simply playing around with each other. _Where's Xanatos?_

"He's over there," a four-year-old Wookiee pointed out.

Xanatos was playing with some starfighters, pretending to be in a dogfight against a Rodian boy.

_Oh, Xanatos…_ Kita said in a sing-song voice.

Xanatos jumped and dropped a starfighter that he was floating. "Kita!"

_Come on, Xanatos,_ Kita told him. _We need to do a few chores_.

Xanatos hopped up and immediately followed Kita out of the room, bouncing the whole way.

"Where are we going, Kita?" he asked excitedly.

_We're going to go out into the city, Xanatos, but you have to promise me something, okay?_

"The city?!" Xanatos didn't even pay attention to the second part of Kita's statement.

Kita rolled her eyes. _We're not going unless you promise me that you won't wander off_.

"Okay!" Xanatos yelled happily, hopping onto Kita's back when she crouched for him.

_Hold on tight!_ Kita ordered him before taking off, running down the stairs all the way to the main level and out of the entranceway.

Xanatos ducked his head as the soft drizzle pelted him and Kita. She ran for about three minutes before reaching a bakery and entering.

"Sorry, no pets allowed," the clerk said dully.

Kita narrowed her eyes and growled at the man, and pulled her first Force-related trick she had ever pulled before: a mind trick. _You _will_ let me stay._

"But, of course, you can stay if you want to," the clerk agreed.

"Wow!" Xanatos gasped. "That was wizard!"

Kita giggled. _Now, let's take a look at these pastries!_

The four-year-old boy bounced over to the counter, but needed to clamber back onto Kita's back to see the treats because of his height. Kita looked over the cakes and saw the perfect one for Qui-Gon: a two-layered Alderaanian chocolate cake with Nubian chocolate frosting.

There were three main varieties of chocolate in the galaxy: one that grew on Alderaan, one on Naboo, and one on Kashyyyk. Kashyyyk's chocolate was a light brown but was the bitterest out of all three. Nubian chocolate was light blue because the Nubians mixed milk into their chocolate, making it the sweetest chocolate out of the three. Alderaanian chocolate, however, was deep brown and rich, the most expensive and the most filling out of the three, often used to make Alderaanian fudge. A cake that had Nubian and Alderaanian chocolate put together was the perfect match for Qui-Gon's humungous sweet tooth.

Kita motioned to the cake. _Buy that one, Xanatos._

Xanatos nodded and took out a money pouch that she had handed to him before. "I'll take that cake, please."

"What would you like in the message?" the clerk asked.

Xanatos looked over at Kita, unsure how to answer.

Kita thought about it for a moment. What _did_ she want to tell Qui-Gon? Kita's mind whirled as she tried to come up with the message as quickly as possible. _Tell them to put in…_

Xanatos relayed the message and the clerk walked back into the kitchen area, making the cake.

This was the typical way to buy a special birthday cake. One would go to the bakery, pick out a model, and then the baker would actually make the cake in the back just for the customer. With droids helping and technology the way it was, it would be made within the hour. Then, on the cake, a message in icing would say "happy birthday" and the person in question's name.

The message that the clerk had asked about was a tradition that had been in existence for millennia. While making the cake, the baker would put a small holographic chip inside, baking it with the cake. The holographic chip would hold a special message in there from the person who bought the cake, and supposedly, whoever found the holographic chip would be brought good luck that year.

The Jedi didn't believe in luck, but it was still a fun tradition to implement when they had birthday cakes.

While they were waiting, Kita let Xanatos buy some brownies as a reward for helping her out. Xanatos munched away happily as he sat waiting for the cake to be ready.

About half an hour later, the clerk came back out with the cake, nice and fresh. The smell of the chocolate made Kita's mouth water, but she and Xanatos controlled themselves. Xanatos held onto the cake while Kita trotted back towards the Jedi Temple.

When they arrived, Kita dropped Xanatos off back with the other younglings (thanking the Force that the masters trusted her to take care of the younglings) and went to find Tahl.

It took her the rest of the day, but she managed to catch the nineteen-year-old humanoid.

"Hey, Kita," Tahl greeted her.

_Here's the cake, just as promised,_ Kita said, using the Force to make the cake float into Tahl's hands.

"Wow," Tahl admired the cake. "I can't wait to see Qui-Gon's face when he gets a look at this thing. It's going to be delicious!"

Kita barked happily and Tahl hugged her in thanks before running off, promising to save a piece for her.

* * *

Qui-Gon Jinn sighed as he looked for his fourteen-year-old Padawan. Where had Xanatos wandered off to?

While walking down a rather empty corridor, Qui-Gon caught sight of Kita, his good friend. Smiling, Qui-Gon walked up to the Corellian Noblon.

"Kita, have you seen my Padawan around here?" he asked the dog.

Kita shook her head. _Sorry, I haven't a clue where he is._

Qui-Gon blew out an exasperated sigh. This was going to be a long day.

After Qui-Gon walked off, Kita's ears perked up, listening intently, but through the Force. She knew that feeling all too well. That was the nervousness of mischievous Padawans who got themselves into trouble.

_All right, what are you guys up to?_ She asked as she rounded a corner, spotting a group of teenage Jedi talking softly to each other.

"Kita!" Xanatos shouted in surprise. "What—what are you doing here?"

_I was just walking when I ran into your master. He's looking for you, you know._ Kita told him calmly.

"Oh," Xanatos mumbled. "Um, well, I'll be there in a moment."

Kita narrowed her eyes suspiciously. _What are you all up to?_

"Nothing!" they said all too quickly.

Suddenly, there was a strangled yell of shock from the nearby refresher. Caught off guard, Kita looked down the stairs into a large chamber to see Jedi fleeing from a refresher as gigantic mounds of soap suds chased them. _What in the…_

Behind her, the soft sound of the teenagers taking off down the carpeted hallway could be heard. Kita turned around just in time to see them scatter in all directions, running for their lives. What did they _do_?

Kita sighed. Why was _she_ always around when a youngling, Padawan, or Knight decided to get in trouble or do something careless?

Just as she turned around, she gasped. The soap suds that had come out in mounds now started coming in waves, filling up the entire chamber and quickly climbing up to the raised hallway Kita was standing in.

Now running for _her_ life, Kita tore down the hall, belligerent soap suds directly behind her.

_Help!_ She called out, not knowing what else to do.

Nearby, she sensed Qui-Gon rushing in her direction to figure out what the source of the disturbance. _No, Qui-Gon, don't come back here!_

It was too late; Qui-Gon didn't hear her in time before he saw the wall of soap suds behind her, his eyes widening in shock. "What the—"

The rest of his statement was replaced by gurgles and gags as he and Kita crashed into each other and were quickly being tossed around by the tsunami of soap suds. Now they were _both_ yelling for help.

After what seemed an eternity, they finally felt the raging ocean subside. They literally had to slip and swim to find a stairwell to get out of there, but they managed. As the two climbed out, other Jedi slid behind them.

"What _happened_?" Mace Windu, a Knight and friend of Qui-Gon's, asked as he walked over.

"I haven't the slightest idea, Mace," Qui-Gon coughed as he got up.

What happened next was amusing beyond belief to Kita. As Qui-Gon stood up, any grace in his presence quickly vanished as he danced madly to maintain his balance, arms flailing and feet hopping, before he fell unceremoniously back onto the floor before being knocked sliding across to the other side of the hall by some poor Jedi Knight who had just stumbled out of the ocean of soap suds below.

Qui-Gon yelled as he went sliding on his backside right into a closet, brooms, mops, and light machinery landing on top of him in a heap. Some Jedi laughed while others tried to rush to his aid.

Then a real mess came. The Jedi who _did_ try to help were either covered in soap suds themselves or toppled over each other as they slid on the slippery wet trail Qui-Gon left behind. Then they all went flying right into where Qui-Gon was desperately trying to regain his footing, causing them all to crash into the closet with a magnificent "kersplat".

To top it all off, a bucket that was in the closet went flying and landed directly on Mace's bald head.

Unable to control herself, Kita burst into laughter at the whole scene, along with some other Jedi.

Suddenly, Qui-Gon seemed to sense something. "XANATOS!"

Xanatos peeked around the corner, looking terrified. "Uh, y-yes Master?"

"What did you do?" Qui-Gon panted from underneath the entangled group of Jedi and cleaning tools.

"Uh…" Xanatos muttered. "I kind of busted a water line connected to the laundry."

"_Really_?" Mace asked with sarcasm so evident in his face as well as his tone that a deaf person would know.

"…Yeah…"

Kita literally rolled on the floor laughing as the Jedi who were in the mess snarled, forgetting their Jedi patience.

Kita made sure to leave before the Jedi exploded, heading over to a refresher that _didn't_ have a busted pipe line and cleaning herself off before going to visit the younglings.

Kita played around with the younglings and then headed over towards the nursery, entering quietly since it was naptime.

As she looked over the infants, she came across a new one. Looking at the name, she smiled. This one was a cutie, she could tell… and he had such a great name, too. She could tell he would become a great Jedi.

It would sound so lovely to hear his name attached with the honorific title of Jedi Master… Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi.

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**Please review! You know you want to...**


	8. Of Jedi and Love

**Hey! Long time no see! Sorry about not updating for a while (*cough* over a YEAR *cough*). This story is just light-hearted fluff not really meant to be taken seriously, so I'm not really writing updates on it unless I get the urge to... or if my reviewers request it enough. :-) Anyway, I've been having a pretty rough time recently (see "notes" on my profile for details on that...) so this may be followed by another update or not... and for those who read my other stories, they probably won't be updated for a while either because of what has happened recently.**

**Anyway, that stuff aside, I hope you guys are still enjoying this story!**

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The birds chirped around her as she lay by the river that went through the Room of a Thousand Fountains, her tail swishing around in the water. Younglings screamed and laughed as they ran about the area chasing each other.

A group was playing Force Tag. The younglings in the group were Kita's charges. She had to watch them for the morning since their Minder was returning from a mission.

The member of the group who was It broke away from the younglings and then ran towards Kita. He pushed her as hard as he could… which was the equivalent of being blown on through a straw. "You'rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre it!"

Kita looked at the youngling, giving a mock stunned expression. _I'm it? Oh no!_

The boy giggled and then yelled out to the younglings. "Kita's It everybody!"

Everyone screamed and laughed some more, running in circles. Kita barked happily and leapt to her feet, running at such a slow pace that the little insect beside her beat her to the younglings. _I'll get you guys, just you wait!_

"Look out!" a youngling shouted and they all ran in different directions.

Kita singled out a young one and ran towards him. He screamed in response, running as hard as his little legs could carry him. Kita nearly strolled over to the little boy before licking the back of his head. _You're it, Obi-Wan!_

Obi-Wan fell to the ground as if the lick were a blow to the head.

"No, I don't want to be it!" he laughed.

Kita licked him on the face. _You're it, or I'll lick you to death!_

Obi-Wan giggled and ran away, the younglings yelling and making a raucous all around the garden.

"Kita, do you mind?"

Kita jumped and turned to see the Jedi Knight Mace Windu raising an eyebrow. "Some people here _are_ trying to meditate."

_Right._ Kita nodded, her tail wagging feebly as an apology. _Sorry about that. I'll settle them down._

Kita ran over to the clan of younglings and gathered them together. _Now, little ones, we need to remember that there are Jedi meditating in these gardens…_

Their pouting faces and nervous energy made her statement fade away. Kita then wagged her tail. _You know what? I have an idea._

Crouching down, Kita motioned Obi-Wan to climb aboard. The four-year-old did so excitedly while the rest of the younglings watched curiously.

_Here; I'll take you all for a ride around the gardens on my back, one at a time, but you have to _promise_ to be quiet and stay still while I'm gone, okay?_ She said to them.

"Okay!" they replied happily.

Kita trotted around with Obi-Wan bouncing cheerfully on her back. "This is fun, Kita! How can they just med-i-tate all day when they can do this?"

The image of Mace Windu riding Kita's back and whooping like a madman appeared in Kita's head before she quickly pushed it out with an amused snort. _Well… they like having some quiet. You'll understand when you're older, little puppy._

"Mm-mm!" Obi-Wan protested. "I'm never ever _ever _turning into that! I'll play all day! I'll have lots of fun and be a good Jedi – I'll be a great Jedi!"

Kita chuckled. _I'm sure you will, Obi-Wan. I'm sure you will._

* * *

Kita was worried. Obi-Wan had been in a depressed mood since that mission to Cirrus to help that boy Talesan Fry. Something had happened between him and a fellow Padawan named Siri Tachi.

Kita could clearly see what it was. After all, she had seen it before in the Jedi Temple: the two were in love. They told themselves that they would forget each other and never see each other again, and it hurt them both badly. Kita needed to enlighten them on something: loving someone didn't always mean that if they couldn't marry they had to be as far from each other as possible. They could still show their love through being the best of friends and always looking out for each other.

Searching for Obi-Wan, Kita found him sitting alone in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, his forearms on his thighs and his head hanging low. He sensed Kita's presence, but he didn't acknowledge her.

_What's bothering you, Padawan? _Kita asked, knowing full well what was wrong, but wanting Obi-Wan to admit it.

"It's nothing, Kita," Obi-Wan sighed. "You wouldn't know, anyway."

Kita snorted at that remark.

Her reaction only irritated Obi-Wan. "Do you think it's funny?"

_No_, Kita shook her head, sitting in front of the boy. _But I think you're taking this a little too far._

"How would you know?" Obi-Wan snapped.

_Because I've seen it before. I mean, hey, I haven't found any attractive dogs in this sector… they seem to so hard to come by these days…_ Kita sighed, and she managed to get a chuckle out of Obi-Wan. _But honestly, Obi-Wan, I _have_ seen this before. Jedi aren't invulnerable to love, little pup. I've seen many Jedi with your dilemma before, and I've seen them react to it in different ways. The way that I thought suited best was to remain close friends; you need to acknowledge your feelings for each other and then acknowledge that you're both Jedi and will never take it further than a friendship… but there is _nothing wrong_ with loving each other. Every Jedi does in his or her own way._

Obi-Wan sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "But Siri just won't listen. She won't get near me."

_Hmm…_ Kita thumped her tail, conjuring up a plan. _Here, I have an idea. You meet me here tonight when everyone has gone to sleep, and I'll make sure Siri arrives too. Then you two can discuss things._

Obi-Wan looked hesitant. "…Are you sure about this?"

_You'll be just fine, Padawan._ Kita stood and licked his face affectionately, bringing out another giggle. _Now stop brooding. Go find your Master and train, meditate, _talk_, and just have some fun. Live a little, Obi-Wan. It won't kill you._

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "All right, then,"

Kita watched the teenager exit and then immediately bounded out the door. She first found Siri and cornered her in the hall.

"Hi Kita," Siri said dully, not looking much happier with her decision than Obi-Wan.

_Siri, I need you to do me a favor._ Kita said, giggling internally as her plan began to unfold. _You need to go the Room of a Thousand Fountains tonight after dinner._

"For what?"

_You'll see when you get there._

"Kita, I'm really not in the mood for silly surprises," Siri mumbled dejectedly.

_It's not silly._ Kita sounded affronted. _And I'm _telling_ you to go._

Siri sighed heavily. "Fine,"

Kita then rushed off again, grabbing the nearest Padawan she could and having her hop onto her back.

"Where are we going, Kita?" Aayla Secura, a little Rutian Twi'lek, asked.

_We're going to find a boat_, Kita replied.

"We're looking for a boat?" Aayla asked excitedly before getting confused. "Why?"

Kita chuckled. _Oh, just for some fun. Hold on, youngling._

Kita ran out of the Temple and to the nearest market. She and Aayla looked everywhere when Aayla pointed to a sleek looking boat. "How about that one?"

_No,_ Kita shook her head. _We need a boat that sits on the water, not floats over it… we need… maybe an antique boat… or a wooden one?_

Aayla looked around diligently, putting all her effort into it as if someone's life depended on it. The two searched for the rest of the day before Aayla pointed to another boat. "_That_ one!"

Kita looked and saw a plain, sanded, wooden boat that could seat two. It apparently had been sitting around a while since it was on sale for practically nothing. Kita smiled.

_Good job, little pup. That'll do _perfectly_._

After Aayla purchased the boat (with some persuasion on the owner by Kita), the two dragged it into an alley before Kita stared at it long and hard, concentrating. The boat began to float and Aayla squealed in delight.

_Hop in! _Kita barked excitedly, also happy with her ability.

Aayla leapt from Kita's back to the boat and held on, bouncing in ecstasy. She panted as if she had run a mile the whole trip back to the Temple as the boat floated in front of Kita, who watched it carefully and concentrated on keeping it afloat.

When the two returned, Kita placed the boat in the river that issued forth from the waterfall in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. Luckily, it was dinnertime and no one was around.

Kita then released her ward, thanking Aayla and telling her to rejoin her clan in the mess hall. Then Kita stared at the boat happily. She walked to the doorway, dimming the light setting to make it look romantic. Oh, she was going to enjoy this.

Kita jumped up a grassy slope to the top of the waterfall and lied there, anxiously awaiting her charges' arrivals.

The door hissed open an hour later and Obi-Wan nervously entered. His mouth dropped when he saw the light setting.

"Oh, I have a bad feeling about this," Obi-Wan muttered.

Kita shook her head in amusement. That boy had gotten so serious.

Obi-Wan paced around nervously for a short while when the door opened once more, allowing Siri to enter.

The two Padawans froze upon seeing each other.

"What are you doing here?" Siri asked.

"Uh…" Obi-Wan trailed away, trying to find an excuse.

Kita sighed. It looked like they would need some prompting.

Using the Force, she pushed the two closer together and then locked the door.

"What's going on?" Siri nearly yelled. "I thought we agreed not to do this!"

"This wasn't my idea!" Obi-Wan hurriedly defended himself. "It was Kita's!"

"That stupid dog…" Siri muttered.

Stupid dog? Kita would teach them a lesson for _that_ remark.

"So now what? We're locked on!" Siri kicked the door.

"Um, well…" Obi-Wan sighed, not knowing what to say. "Siri… we need to talk…"

"Talk about what? We've discussed everything that we need to." Siri cut him off.

Obi-Wan seemed to be gaining more confidence. "No, we didn't. We just ran from the issue."

"We can't be together, Obi-Wan," Siri said firmly.

"I'm not saying we should be _together_," Obi-Wan stressed. "I'm just… saying maybe we could just be friends again."

Kita took this as her cue.

Sitting up, she immediately began to howl out a romantic tune which was probably so delightful to listen to even a Sith Lord would want to scream.

Obi-Wan and Siri sure looked like they were ready to.

The two Padawans covered their ears and fled the area, running straight for the river. Kita continued to howl all the more, and then was delighted to sense their shock and embarrassment upon seeing the boat.

She sensed the two enter the boat and let it take them further away from her wretched howls and then she stopped, satisfied that they were alone and talking.

At the end of the night, Siri left laughing and promising to meet Obi-Wan in the sparring arena tomorrow morning.

Obi-Wan smiled and then crossed his arms after Siri left. "Kita, I'm going to get you for this some day."

Kita hopped down to his level and then wagged her tail. _I'd like to see you try._

* * *

**Who can guess who's coming in the next chapter? Heehee... **

**Please review! :-)  
**


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